Haiti

I'll be in Haiti Tomorrow!

Katie Riley on a previous trip to Haiti

As I write this blog, it’s hard for me to imagine that this time tomorrow I will be landing in Port au Prince, Haiti. This trip will be my third to the island, but also my first since graduating high school.

Over the next week I’ll be traveling to Boucan Carre, Haiti to work with the Haiti Outreach Program, a partner of She’s the First. I can’t wait to be back in the town. My first two trips to Boucan Carre literally changed the course of my life and I can’t wait to see what is in store for this week. The group I am traveling with will be working closely with Partners in Health to distribute medicine and preventative information about cholera to remote villages in the Artibonite River Valley.

Though school won’t be in session, we will also be catching up with students of the St. Michel’s Primary and Secondary schools to share with everyone here at She’s the First! STF really is going 360 degrees in 2011, and I’m so so so excited that Boucan Carre, Haiti will be one of the first stops in our work across the globe!

While I’m definitely excited about being back in Haiti tomorrow, this trip does come with some fears. If you follow the news, you may have seen that Haiti has been the scene of some pretty violent riots lately surrounding possible corruption in their election process. The situation seems to have calmed down over the last few weeks, but no one can say for sure what will happen next. Even though we’ve been planning to visit Haiti since this summer, our trip didn’t receive the official green light until Sunday night because of the safety concerns.

The uncertainty surrounding this trip has led me to think a lot about what our girls have to face every day in the schools STF supports. As Americans, we have the choice whether or not to visit a violent nation. We have been given the opportunity to step back and choose not to sacrifice our personal safety and security. At times it feels like a selfish choice. I am so excited to get back to Haiti, but I sometimes wonder if I’d feel the same way if I didn’t have a passport to send me straight home if the going gets tough. The girls we support don’t have the same luxury. For me, this is a week long mission trip. For the students at St. Michel, this is life.

This idea has completely shaken me up lately and inspired me to push even harder for girls’ education in 2011. True there might be nothing we can do to stop the violence in Haiti at this very moment — but we can absolutely ensure that the next generation has the resources to prevent it.

I’d like to end this blog with an early New Year’s toast. Since I won’t be in the country to pop any champagne (or wear the silver sparkly TOMS that Santa brought me), I ask everyone to raise a glass with me now and toast to education in 2011. She’s the First has had a rocking first year and we’re not slowing down. Cheers!

Katie is the graphic designer for She’s the First.

Posted in Haiti Outreach Program, STF360 | 2 Comments

Men are Part of She's the First, Too!

Lew is the latest sponsor for the Haiti Outreach Program!

[Editor's Note: Not all of our sponsors are young women in their 20s! She's the First is a co-ed movement that spans multiple generations, and we are proud to present Lew as the latest sponsor of a girl in Haiti, through our partner GiveHaitiHope.org/the Haiti Outreach Program.]

My name is Lew Blaustein, 51, President of New York City-based marketing consultancy, Lewis Brand Solutions, Inc. We develop results-based sales and marketing solutions for companies and non-profits in my three areas of personal passion: Green/Sustainability, Sports, and Arts.

Another personal passion is education, particularly the urgency and importance of providing girls with access to education in developing countries. The columns of Pulitzer-Prize winner Nicholas Kristof gave me an awareness and appreciation of this problem. When I was introduced to She’s The First, I knew I had found just the organization to match my interests with worthwhile projects the world over.

I was drawn to Haiti and the Haiti Outreach Program because of my interest in being of service in some small way to that earthquake-devastated country. After the initial outpouring of global interest, the world’s attention has moved on and yet massive problems remain, with access to education chief among them. Girls in Haiti have far less access than boys, so this seemed like a natural. I am happy to help.

It is my hope that more men become aware of the access-to-education gap facing girls in developing nations and decide to become active in eliminating that gap. To me, it’s clear: The overall lifestyle and economic climate are far better in countries in which girls have access to education. This is something that anyone, man or woman, should want to impact.

It is this angle (educating girls is the key to economic/political success and stability) that I think women should use to educate and energize men about this issue. One other possible angle is obvious when we consider the mounting evidence that in developed nations, the US in particular, boys are now underachieving, versus their female counterparts in the classroom: Women can encourage men to join them in support the education of girls in developing nations while women support boys’ education initiatives in developed countries. The two are obviously not mutually exclusive.

Posted in Haiti Outreach Program, Sponsor Stories | Tagged men | Leave a comment

Back-to-School Fundraiser at Northeastern U Raises $570 + Counting!

Sarah and Lauren, in grand She's the First style!

I couldn’t have been more excited and proud to hear that Lauren Horn and Sarah Matthews, seniors from Northeastern University, decided to throw a Back-to-School fundraiser on Sept. 18! Just a few weeks ago here on Aspire, we kicked off a new monthly series of She’s the First’s fundraising campaigns — each month, I’ll blog with creative fundraising ideas with a special theme.

Best friends Lauren and Sarah did most of their party shopping at Trader Joe’s, spending only $60 total on hangout necessities like hummus, popcorn, and pasta salad. They even made cupcakes in She’s the First colors. Yum!

how adorable are these STF-themed cupcakes?

My favorite thing about Lauren and Sarah’s fundraiser was the adorable She’s the First step and repeat (photo backdrop) they made together. Just by enlarging the She’s the First logo and creating a checkerboard pattern on their living room wall, they created a fun photo opp for all of their friends.

Lauren and Sarah said they had their fingers crossed to raise $100 by the end of the night, but they raised a whopping $570 and counting!! (They’re still waiting to collect more promised donations)! They chose to sponsor girls in Haiti, benefiting our partner the Haiti Outreach Program.

guys came with the girls too -- and notice the little STF stickers on their shirts!

“Our plan was to sponsor girls directly,” says Lauren. “It only costs

$100 to sponsor a girl’s primary education, and I love the idea of being able to see who exactly we’re helping.” The girls and their guests will be able to follow the progress of the students they support here on the She’s the First blog, as our new team of researchers begins to keep a close eye on them via the Internet and report back.

Stay tuned for the next round of She’s the First campaign ideas, which will go online Oct. 1!

Posted in Haiti Outreach Program, Independent Fundraisers, She's the First*{Campus} | Tagged cupcakes, lauren horn, northeastern university, sarah matthews | 3 Comments

Islon from Haiti: I’m the First!

Last month, volunteers from the Haiti Outreach Program visited Boucan Carre to work on projects throughout the community. While they were there, volunteers met a student named Islon, and she quickly stole their hearts. Juliet Suman, an adult volunteer for the HOP, told me all about Islon in a recent letter and why we know she will one day be the first.

Hi Katie!

My name is Juliet Suman and I have had the privilege of traveling to Haiti twice where Islon (11 yrs old in 5th grade ) captured all our hearts. What strikes you instantly about Islon is her confidence…she LOVES being “in her skin”! My own daughter observed in August that she is Haiti’s “IT girl.” In the USA we would just say she’s ALL THAT!

Islon is the oldest of three children and the only girl. Her mother left them to be raised by the grandmother so that she could pursue work in another town. The grandmother could not afford the 3, so Islon (the only girl) has had to live with a different family and be fed by the kindness of the priest at St. Michel Catholic Church. She often goes to bed hungry!

Islon can dance and sing with so much youthful joy (it is contagious to watch)…she is a delight! What really impressed and surprised us was her amazing ability to read English. She could read the words on all our t-shirts, nothing was too hard!!!! She has so much spark and intelligence. Even though she lives more humbly than we can ever imagine, but showed us her mud shack with such pride. “C’est my maison!”

Islon enjoys being alive and loves her world. I think if opportunities were presented to her, she would be able to serve the country she lives as an incredible, educated Haitian young woman.

We were so sure that “she was the first” one that you are looking for, that we videoed her telling you so!!! She says “I AM THE FIRST!”

Sincerely,
Juliet Suman

Islon is just one of many students at St. Michel’s primary school who still need sponsors. For $100/year, the Haiti Outreach Program provides tuition, a uniform, school supplies, and a hot daily meal for students in Boucan Carre. Read about how others have supported the Haiti Outreach Program through She’s the First here. You can do it too!

Have any of you been to, or are you thinking of traveling to, Haiti?

Posted in Haiti Outreach Program, She's the First Intern Posts | Tagged video | Leave a comment

The Story of a Pink Uniform

Madeline Chevril, when I met her in 2008

I want to introduce you to Madeline Chevril. She sings. She dances. She squeaks when she gets excited and has a smile that will light up your day.

One thing she did not have when I met her was a school uniform. I met Madeline in January of 2008, on my second trip to Boucan Carre, Haiti. She was a preschool student at St. Michel’s Primary school, one of the schools supported by the Haiti Outreach Program. Our purpose on this trip was to update records on St. Michel’s students and photograph every single one of them for the sponsorship program.

As we were about to leave, little preschoolers dressed in pink caught my eye. If you ever have the chance to visit Boucan Carre, be warned. These kids are distracting and adorable and you will be yelled at to get back to work when all you want to do is play and jump and dance with them. One little girl in particular won my attention — Madeline. She blended in at first, but once I really looked at her I realized her dress was orange, not pink like the rest of the uniforms. When I asked her why, she said she didn’t have a uniform. Though this news broke my heart, it really didn’t seem to phase her. She was back to jumping and singing in seconds.

Me in Haiti with the girls

A few weeks after this trip the Haiti Outreach Program held it’s annual student sponsorship drive. When I saw her picture with her little orange dress, my heart broke all over again. I wanted to do whatever it would take to make sure this little girl would have a uniform next time she got her picture taken.

It turns out, all it took was a dinner with my family. Everyone saw what an impact my trips to Haiti had made on me, and they were all willing to chip in to make a difference for this little girl. Now I know She’s the First usually talks about rallying your friends behind sponsoring a girl, but sometimes rallying your family works just as well!

Here are my tips for how to start this discussion at the dinner table:

1. Check out the directory and see what school would suit your family best. St. Michel’s school in Boucan Carre made perfect sense for us because I have actually been there. Maybe you have a cousin that does mission work in West Timor and has made you feel connected with Roslin Orphanage. Perhaps you are a family with teenage siblings who might connect to a high school student through the Kenya Education Fund. You should also consider what type of sponsorship you are choosing. Would you prefer a blind donation, or one that allows you to actually interact with the student you are sponsoring?

2. Discuss the budget with your parents and decide how everyone will contribute. Does everyone in the family give up allowance for a few weeks to pay for the sponsorship? You can propose to skip the family-dinner-and-a-movie night to cook together at home and use what you would have spent on a night out. Another great option is to ask for your family to make donations in your honor to celebrate a birthday or other accomplishment, instead of getting traditional gifts.

Madeline's sponsorship certificate for 2010 -- in a pink uniform!

3. Don’t stop at just your immediate family! You can ask aunts and uncles, cousins, and even neighbors to get in on the fun. A larger group might be better equipped to fund a sponsorship at some of the (more expensive) boarding schools. You could even sponsor multiple students as a family! Ask your next-door neighbor to sponsor a student with you, and soon it could become a neighborhood event!

You don’t always have to be a party planner to make a difference in the life of a girl. Sometimes, it just takes a conversation at the dinner table. It’s a great way to get your family together for a good cause and remind everyone to be thankful for what we’ve got. What better way to put a smile on my face in the morning than to see the smile on Madeline’s face hanging on our family fridge?

Posted in Haiti Outreach Program, She's the First Intern Posts, Sponsor Stories | Tagged uniforms | 2 Comments

Prom Dress Sale Sends 30 Students to School in Haiti

Haiti Outreach Program volunteers: Katie Erpenbach, Jessica Henderson and Katie Riley

The Haiti Outreach Program, a member of the She’s the First network, discovered a creative way to support girls’ education in the developing world — recycle prom dresses! On Feb. 27th, Katie Riley and other college student volunteers at the University of Tennessee hosted Fierce & Fancy Formals, a fashion show and prom dress sale that raised $6,000 – enough to send 30 students to secondary school in Haiti!

The prom dress fundraiser for the Haiti Outreach Program was a huge success! Natalie Williams pictured.

The fundraiser featured a silent auction, a fashion show, and then a shopping event where girls could purchase once-expensive prom dresses at bargain prices, browsing an assortment of more than 400 donated dresses.

In an interview with the online magazine hercampus.com, Katie recently spoke about the huge impact that a creative, fun fundraiser can have, when you leverage the small contributions of the college and high school women around you. “For just $100 you can send a child to school for a year, and that’s really not a lot of money at all,” she said. “Take what you’re good at and find a way to apply it to Haiti (or whatever cause you care about). I will never be a doctor—I don’t even have the slightest interest in medicine—but I’m great at planning events, uniting volunteers and getting people excited about something so I have found a way to make it work. You can plan something that works in your community too. My sorority sisters love the idea of a dress sale. If you have a lot of friends who like to cook, host a bake sale! Just remember that no contribution is too small.”

We love the idea of sending a girl to school by doing something as simple as donating your birthday to the cause (instead of having people buy you a gift or drinks at the bar, ask them to donate $10) or hosting a benefit concert or sale. My friend Sammy Davis, a vintage fashion curator, is having a clothing sale on April 18th in NYC and donating $200 of the proceeds to sponsor a girl in the Haiti Outreach Program.

Continue the trend of fashionable fundraisers! How can you use your talents to sponsor a girl’s education, enabling her to break barriers and become a “first”?

Posted in Haiti Outreach Program, Sponsor Stories | Tagged prom dresses, University of Tennessee | Leave a comment

A Letter From the Haiti Outreach Program

The Haiti Blog

The She’s the First network includes an education sponsorship program in Haiti, supported by the Haiti Outreach Program. This past Christmas, six girls were sponsored in Haiti as part of our holiday gift giving campaign. Katie Riley, who is a remarkable volunteer leader in the organization (as she’s also a busy college student), sent us an update last night:

To our friends at She’s the First,

I know you all have been very concerned about the students in Haiti after Tuesday’s earthquake news. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to update you sooner, but as I’m sure you can imagine its just been a crazy week!

I am so thankful to be able to say that despite what has happened in surrounding areas, Boucan Carre is virtually unharmed. They have reported a crack in the second floor ceiling of our clinic, but no other major structural damage in the community. Even more amazing, they have not reported a single casualty in the town. This means that all of our students are safe and sound =) I’m not sure if school is in session at the moment, but I imagine everything is at a bit of a standstill right now. We have not had the communication yet to follow up with specific students, but I’ve been assured that everyone is well.

With the exception of one or two, all of our doctors and nurses in Boucan Carre have gone to Port au Prince to provide emergency medical care there. Many other members of the BC community have also gone to Port au Prince to help in any way that they can. The HOP is currently focusing its efforts on financially supporting Partners in Health and their emergency relief fund.

I suppose this is all the information I have to offer at the moment, I just wanted to let you know that your students are safe and sound. The dress sale fundraiser for the secondary school is still moving forward according to schedule – I know you would be proud to hear our response to “Why are you raising money for the school and not changing it to emergency relief?” – We can send all of the “urgent” care we want to Haiti in a crisis – but supporting their education is giving them the tools to respond to a crisis without our help.

As always thank you so much for your support – I am so so grateful for this partnership! I hope to have more updates for you soon =)

Katie

Posted in Haiti Outreach Program | Tagged haiti | Leave a comment

Haiti

I'll be in Haiti Tomorrow!

Back-to-School Fundraiser at Northeastern U Raises $570 + Counting!

Islon from Haiti: I’m the First!

A Letter From the Haiti Outreach Program

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[Editor's Note: Not all of our sponsors are young women in their 20s! She's the First is a co-ed movement that spans multiple generations, and we are proud to present Lew as the latest sponsor of a girl in Haiti, through our partner GiveHaitiHope.org/the Haiti Outreach Program.]

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